Memories in Shadow
by Zippy4110
Summary: The Winter War is over. Aizen claimed victory. He killed Ichigo, or so it seems, and created the King's Key. However, his plan didn't follow through... Meanwhile, Ichimaru has gone back to Hueco Mundo to reform the Arrancar and defeat Soul Society.
1. Opening Memory

The plot so far:

The Winter War is over. Aizen won. Even after the Vizards showed up, he was still simply too powerful for them. When the strange little Arrancar Wonderweiss released his true power, the Shinigami and the Vizards realized just how much they had underestimated Aizen. They gave the battle their best shot, and managed to defeat some of Aizen's forces, but they still lost. Ichigo Kurosaki gave Aizen a run for his money, but Aizen was able to easily dispatch the substitute Shinigami. When the battle ended, Aizen opened the gate to the King's domain, and it is there that we begin…

The tall Shinigami stepped forwards towards the shining gate. He drew his white robes up as he stepped over the body of a young boy with white hair, a repulsed expression on his face. As he approached the gate, he turned and looked around the battlefield.

To his left, the bodies of a young girl with spiky blonde hair and a teenage girl with a black ponytail.

To his right, the bodies of a large wolf-like creature with a sword and a black man with dreadlocks and a visor.

In front of him, the body of a black-haired man in a fur coat and a man with a strange star-shaped afro.

And all around him, more people struggling to stand up, barely grasping at life.

_Interesting… The strange boy's body is gone. But it is no matter. I have reached the throne of God, and no one shall take it from me._

Aizen turned back towards the gate, a smile on his handsome face that was marred by a large bloody scar stretching from his left eyebrow to his right cheek. He started to stride towards the gate, then stopped as it began to open.

Standing in the gate was a figure totally hidden in shadow.

"Ahhh… Hello there, Sosuke-kun…"

The figure disappeared.

Aizen looked down, his expression changing from one of malicious happiness to one of confusion and fear. He stared at the blade protruding from his stomach, its edge dripping with Aizen's own blood.


	2. First Memory: Dawn

Umm… This is my first fanfic ever. So please comment/review. Kthxbai. :D

**Fake Karakura Town**

Shinji slowly lifted his head and looked around. From behind him, the signature sound of a Garganta opening could be heard as the three remaining Arrancar on the battlefield left for Hueco Mundo. He shook his head in confusion. _I remember… Ichigo came and attacked Aizen… But he lost… But if that's true… Where's his body?_

Indeed, Ichigo's body was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, all of the remaining Shinigami and Vizards gasped as an unfamiliar reiatsu skyrocketed in power. As the tired warriors looked on, a strange figure walked towards the Captain-General, a body lying across his shoulders. When the man reached Yamamoto, he threw Aizen's body at the old man's feet.

"Merry fuckin' Christmas, Shigekuni…"

As it turned out, the man couldn't really be called a man; he was too young for that. The figure standing in front of Yamamoto was a boy, appearing to be only around 16 or 17. He was short, standing at around 5'6" at the highest, with dark purple hair and a slender figure. His eyes were a deep, mesmerizing purple. He had a knowing smirk on his face. He was wearing a torn up captain's haori, the number on the back erased by the amount of rips in the fabric.

"Surprised to see me? Yeah, you thought you got rid of me, didn't you?"

Yamamoto stared at the newcomer in horror. "It… can't be…" he whispered in shock.

The boy chuckled menacingly. "Yeah, it's me. Missed ya too, old man. Though you weren't so old last time I saw you…"

Shunsui Kyouraku staggered up to Yamamoto's side, blood leaking out of his haori. He appeared to be missing a large chunk of flesh from his side, and his forehead had a large, bloody gash. "Yama-jii… Who is this?" he gasped, clutching at his side.

"This is Kai Hiza—"

"Shaddup, old man! I'll give the fuckin' introductions here!" yelled the boy at Yamamoto, pointing his short wakizashi at the old Captain-General. He looked at Shunsui, a confused expression on his face. "The hell? Who're you?" he asked. "Ahh, no matter… Anyways, name's Kai Hizaki, _former_ Captain-General of the Gotei 13, thanks to your beloved Yamamoto over there."

Shunsui looked at Yamamoto in shock.

"What does he mean, Yama-jii?"

Yamamoto sighed, the memories from years past flooding back into his head.

"This goes back to long before any of you were born, to when I was merely a boy…"

**Hueco Mundo**

The silver-haired man staggered into Las Noches, holding the large stab wound in his stomach in an attempt to stave off the bleeding. For once, he wasn't grinning, and his eyes were cracked open. He was gripping his short sword in his left hand so hard that his knuckles were starting to bleed. He staggered up the countless flights of stairs, heading in the direction of the throne room. When he reached his destination, he collapsed on the floor.

"I'm… alive…"

He looked at his bloodied hand.

"I'm alive!!"

He cackled madly as he brought his hand to his face. He touched his index and middle fingers to the place right between his eyebrows, then brought them sharply down his face. Immediately, a white substance began to spread from his fingers. It spread across his face and down his shoulders, forming a strange helmet not unlike a medieval-era knight's helmet with two rhino-like horns on the forehead and large curved spikes sprouting out of the shoulders. If anyone were around, they would have sensed an explosion of reiatsu coming from the ragged man. Graced by this newfound source of energy, Gin Ichimaru stood up. Out of his pocket he drew a small orb which was swirling with colors and energy.

"Poor, poor Aizen… You really didn't know the full power that this little toy could give you, did you… And now you're dead. But you can trust me, I won't be making that same mistake…"

The insane former captain began to cackle even more as he held the Hogyoku up to the light. His transformation was complete. The armor had spread completely over his torso and arms, giving him strange knight-like armor with curved spikes sprouting out of his joints and lines sprouting from his navel all over his chest. He thrust his hand towards the wall. A bright blue light began to form in front of his palm and shot at the wall, completely demolishing the structure. Behind the wall stood the remnants of the Espada army; a young woman with dark skin and bright blonde hair, a small child with a vacant expression and a large purple sword on his back, an old man with a strange crown on his forehead, and a large man with an angry expression. Gin beheld them all, then laughed as he increased his reiatsu even more. All three figures fell to their knees, struggling to even breathe under the sheer pressure of the strange reiatsu. Gin looked at them.

"As you saw, Aizen is dead. You follow me now. I will rebuild the Espada and take down that pretender old man who squats on his Shinigami throne once and for all. Do any of you protest?"

Harribel stepped forwards.

"You arrogant little fool, if Aizen-sama couldn't do it, why do you think—"

She stopped suddenly. She looked down at her torso, gaping in amazed horror at the large hole that had been blasted through her breasts and stomach by Gin's lightning-fast Bala. She fell to the ground, her final expression one of surprise, the hole in her chest still smoking.

"Any other protests?"

Two of the remaining three Arrancar quickly bent to their knees, with Wonderweiss simply staring into the distance and scratching his head. "No, sir, Ichimaru-sama!" they cried in unison, their heads bowed down. Behind his mask, Gin grinned widely. It was time for a new dawn…

**Somewhere**

_The hell… Where… am I…?_

The orange-haired boy slowly sat up, scratching the back of his head in confusion. He looked around. He seemed to be in a wasteland of some sort. The sky was midnight-black. The ground was cracked rock, somewhat like the earth found near active volcanoes. All around were twisted, dead trees. In the sky, a blood-red moon hung ominously.

He looked at himself. He was wearing a strange kimono-like robe, all black, with a large tear across the chest. The rip seemed to have been made from a sword's blade, but the skin under the robe was completely unharmed.

"What… the hell… What is this?" he asked slowly of no one in particular, what with there being no one around to ask. "Wait a minute…"

"Who am I?"

_I don't remember my name… I don't remember who I am… Who am I?!_

"Someone… Please, help me… I don't remember my name… I don't remember anything… Please, **help me!!!**"

The boy fell to his knees, clutching his forehead as he screamed. The sound echoed across the desolate plains.


	3. Second Memory: Remembrance

I'm actually having a lot more fun writing this than I expected. I didn't realize exactly how many ideas I had in my head for something like this until I started. Anyways, any and all comments and criticisms are totally welcomed and appreciated. I have an idea for at least one pairing, but I'm not sure if I'm going to focus on romance that much. Anyways, I think I'm going to focus on Kai the newcomer and his story for now, because I've got that arc all planned out. Ichimaru and Ichigo are going to be expanded on somewhat throughout, but not very much until I finish off with Kai's story and the Cold War arc (as I'm gonna call it :D). 

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of the characters… If I did, then this'd be happening in the manga, wouldn't it?

**Fake** **Karakura** **Town **

Yamamoto sighed, the memories from years past flooding back into his head.

"This goes back to long before any of you were born, to when I was merely a boy…"

_**Soul Society, Thousands of years ago…**_

_It was daytime in the old Shinigami academy, open only to those privileged noble children whose families were important enough to send them to the Shinigami academy. In some rooms, the young students learned about the history of the Shinigami and the art of Kidou, and in others instructors trained the beginning Shinigami in the art of swordplay. However, our focus goes not to any of these rooms, but to a small sparring room where two boys were fighting. Often it is said that to truly understand the future, one must look to the past, so it is to the past we look…_

The two wooden swords clashed together, making a loud "thwock" sound as they collided. Behind each of the blades was a boy. The first boy was smaller, with dark purple messy hair and an excited grin on his handsome face. The second was a tall boy with long, straight hair that was a flaming red. He seemed a little younger than the first boy, and had a grim, determined expression on his face. He jumped back and rushed for the first boy, his sword held parallel to the ground in both hands. He slashed for the boy's neck, but the smaller boy ducked under the vicious slash and pivoted around the taller boy, slashing at his back. The tall redhead was knocked to the ground, a surprised and angry look on his face. He jumped up, fuming.

"No fair! We agreed, no back slashes, Kai-kun!" he yelled, pointing his sword at the smaller boy.

"Seriously, Kuni-kun, don't be so uptight!" Kai sighed, leaning on his long wooden bokken. "Nobody ever follows the rules to the fuckin' dot in a fight. Ya gotta get used to that. Rules're meant to be broken!"

As he said this last sentence, he leaped forwards, whirling his sword out for a vicious upwards slash. It caught Shigekuni squarely on the chin, knocking him back yet again. The tall redhead jumped forwards, spitting with rage, and charged for Kai. Before he could reach the shorter purple-haired boy, however, Kai sidestepped him and pushed him to the ground. As Shigekuni stood up once more, his face fuming, the door opened to reveal a tall old man.

"Have you managed to defeat him yet, Shigekuni?" asked the old man. Despite his age, he stood tall and strong. He had a wise, yet stern face, much like that of Shigekuni in old age. He had long white hair flowing down his back, and a thin goatee and mustache. He wore the traditional shihakusho of the shinigami, and over it he wore a captain's haori. Inside the black rhombus on the back was the kanji character for the number one, signifying his rank as Captain-Commander of the Shinigami. At his hip was a katana with a black hilt and a triangular tsuba. He peered at Shigekuni and Kai with piercing blue eyes, awaiting the redhead's answer.

"G-g-grandfather!" Shigekuni yelled, scrambling to a stop from his charge and jumping in the air. "N-not yet, but I'm almost there!"

"Don't lie, Kuni-kun," Kai chuckled, a gloating grin on his face. "You've got a _long_ way 'til you can beat me. Nice to see you, Koroshi-sama." He bowed deeply.

The old man gave a disapproving grunt in Shigekuni's direction.

"Get stronger. After me, there can only be one Captain Commander, and it will be one of you two. Whoever proves stronger shall be the one." And with that, he turned and strode out of the room.

_**Soul Society, 100 years later…**_

_It was the Captain's Exam. In the center of the room was a tall boy with dark purple hair and mesmerizing indigo eyes. He had one hand on his short sword's hilt and the other on his hip. He had a little arrogant grin on his face, as if he knew he was going to pass before the exam even started. Standing around him were the captains of the Gotei 13. All were hidden in shadow but the Captain-Commander. The old man's expression was unreadable._ _Before we look to the turning point, we must look to the events which brought us to the brink. Thus, we look back, and we study…_

"Step forwards."

The purple-haired boy stepped forwards.

"State your name."

"My name is Kai Hizaki."

"Why are you here, Kai Hizaki?"

"I am here to become Captain of the Twelfth Division."

"Why are you qualified for this position?"

"I have achieved Bankai and have the skills necessary to be a Captain of the Twelfth Division."

"Show me your Bankai."

"Cry! Chimitsukai!"

He pulled out his short wakizashi and slammed his other hand against the hilt. The blade was pointing downwards towards the floor. He brought his hands apart, and it was revealed that the blade had split into two identical replicas, one in each hand. The blades stretched and curved until they were the size of scythe-blades and reached to his elbows. The tsubas touched his wrists and melted. They flowed over his wrists and hands, forming strange gloves that were attached to the blades. He grinned, then drew his hands together.

"Bankai."

The scythe-blades shimmered, then melted together. They flowed up Kai's arms and into and into a ball of liquid metal in front of his hands, then reformed into a small wakizashi. The blade itself was pure beauty. The body was pure blood-red, with strange designs and unreadable inscriptions etched along the length of the blade. The edge was ivory white, shimmering with energy and power. The hilt was pure black, and the tsuba was etched with hypnotizing swirls and designs.

"Issaikujo Mitsukai Chikiba."

The old man's eyes widened. _Surely no Bankai is this small…_

"This is… unexpected. Prove to the council your Bankai's power."

Kai grinned widely.

"Give me something to test it against, Koroshi-sama."

The old man grunted.

"Very well… Soar, Akiwashi!"

He drew his sword in a flash of movement that left all watching impressed. As the onlookers watched, his katana morphed into a beautiful large wing-shaped blade, complete with razor-sharp feathers.

"Washihoukou!"

He slashed the blade in multiple different directions, all within the timespan of a second. Waves of pure white energy flew out towards Kai, threatening to kill him. All Kai did, however, was grin and hold his blade out point first towards the oncoming energy.

"Reikaimen!"

All of the attacks were sucked into the red part of the blade as if it were a sort of black hole or vacuum. The etchings on the blade glowed brightly for a few seconds, then dimmed and went out. Koroshi gasped at this, amazed that any blade would be able to neutralize his attack so easily.

"Hmph… Very well. You have passed the Captain's Test, you have received recommendations from six captains, and you have proven your worth. I, Koroshi Genryuusai-Yamamoto, declare you, Kai Hizaki, the new official Captain of the Twelfth Division, succeeding Ramatai Akune."

Kai's face broke out into a wide smile as he sealed his zanpakuto back into its sealed form. Two attendants came up to him, holding a brand-new haori with the kanji character for twelve on the back. He slipped it on, still grinning.

"Now, Captain Hizaki, who do you choose for your lieutenant?" asked Koroshi.

"I choose Shigekuni Genryuusai-Yamamoto," Kai replied without hesitation.

"Hmph… So be it. This ceremony is concluded." And with that, Koroshi turned and walked out. Kai stood silent for a while, pondering something, then turned and walked out the door.

_**Soul Society, 50 years later...**_

_It was springtime in Soul Society. In the mansion of the Kuchiki clan, cherry blossoms were blooming. All in all, a perfect setting for the retirement of the Captain-Commander of the Shinigami. He was stepping down, leaving the position to his protege, Kai Hizaki. The ceremony took place in the Genryuusai-Yamamoto family mansion. It was a small ceremony; the only ones present were Twelfth Division Captain Hizaki, Fifth Division Captain Yamamoto, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, and the Vice-Captains of the Fifth and Twelfth Divisions. Their names are unimportant; they have no further place in our story. Instead we focus on the new Captain-Commander, and the event which changed the history of Soul Society forever..._

Koroshi sighed, standing under the shade of a cherry blossom tree. His sword was on a bench behind him, and he leaned on a large, ornate cane. It was finally time for him to step down, and he was content with that knowledge. On one knee before him was Captain Kai Hizaki of the Twelfth Division. The last 50 years hadn't seemed to age him very much, or indeed at all; he still appeared to be about 16 or 17. Standing off to the side was the Captain of the Fifth Division, Shigekuni Genryuusai-Yamamoto, looking vaguely unsettled and unsatisfied by the whole ceremony. He had aged visibly over the last 50 years; he now appeared to be in his mid-30s, heavily muscled, with his katana at his side. Koroshi walked up to the kneeling Kai.

"Kai Hizaki, Captain of the Twelfth Division, I, Koroshi Genryuusai-Yamamoto, Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, have nominated you with the approval of the Central 46 to the position of Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. Do you accept this nomination?"

Kai said nothing, only nodded silently. For once, he was aware of the total gravity of the situation, and wasn't screwing around or making jokes.

"Do you believe you are worthy of the position?"

"I do, sir."

"Do you believe that you can handle all of the demands of being the supreme leader of the Shinigami?"

"I do, sir."

"Then without further ado, I, Koroshi Genryuusai-Yamamoto, hereby relinquish my position of Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 to you, Captain Kai Hizaki. You are now the new Captain-Commander of the Shinigami. Now, rise."

Kai rose. Koroshi took off his haori while Kai did the same. Koroshi slowly walked around Kai, holding out the haori. When he was behind Kai, he slipped the haori on to the new Captain-Commander, who shrugged the robe on. His former Vice-Captain took away his old haori.

Throughout all this, Shigekuni's troubled expression had grown into one of thinly veiled anger, barely kept surpressed by Shigekuni's restraint.

Koroshi walked back in front of Kai and put his hand on the younger Shinigami's shoulder, a tearful smile on his face.

"Child... I am so proud of you. You were a great pupil," he whispered to Kai, his eyes brimming with tears. He stood back, looking Kai in the eyes. "Now, who is your choice for your Lieutenant?"

"If he accepts, I choose Captain Shigekuni Genryuusai-Yamamoto," Kai said loudly and clearly, turning towards Shigekuni. He looked at the tall man. "Do you accept?"

Shigekuni stared at Kai. His expression almost slipped, revealing his true anger inside. _He dares to have the sheer audacity to ask me this?! He knows how I feel about him!_

After staring at Kai for a few moments, he sighed. "I accept," he muttered reluctantly.

Kai looked at Shigekuni questioningly, then turned back to Koroshi.

"It's settled then," he said, a wide grin on his face. He was glad to finally be done with the formalities. He walked out of the mansion, Shigekuni slowly following. Koroshi watched them leave, tears streaming down his face.

_**Soul Society, 2100 years before the present...**_

_Finally, the event that we look to in order to determine the shaping of the events that form our future. Shigekuni and Kai are in front of Central 46. Shigekuni has taken Kai there because he believes that Kai is too powerful to be in charge of the Shinigami and must be sealed in the Maggot's Nest. Or at least, that is what he claims... In order to truly understand our present, we must look to the past. This is the turning point in our history that has led us to this moment, and this is the final moment we must look to..._

**"Kai Hizaki, do you understand why you are here**?"

They were standing in the chamber of the Central 46, Soul Society's prime judiciary body. All around them, men and women behind large opaque shields sat, hearing what the Shinigami in the center had to say. Kai was in his captain's haori, with his hands behind his back. A chain led from his wrists and split, leading to the hands of four attendants, two on either side of him. Interestingly enough, he still appeared to be in his late teens, while Shigekuni seemed to be in his 40s or 50s.

"No, actually, I don't. Someone wanna remind me?" Kai asked sarcastically, staring daggers at a silent Shigekuni. Shigekuni averted his eyes from Kai, obviously not wanting to look at his Captain who he had betrayed.

**"This man, Shigekuni Genryuusai-Yamamoto, believes that your zanpakuto's abilities are potentially dangerous to the well-being of the Shinigami. Can you please describe the abilities of your sword**?"

Kai sighed.

"My shikai has the ability to lengthen or shorten itself to a certain extent. It can also deflect lower-level energy attacks such as a Cero."

He turned and glared at Shigekuni more.

"**And your Bankai?"**

Kai waited a few moments, then sighed.

"My Bankai's ability is negation. I can negate any kidou or energy-based attack. I can also focus my reiatsu into the edge of the blade and create an attack that can slice through almost anything."

The shocked members of Central 46 began to murmur loudly. The bustling stopped with the banging of a gavel by the member in the front, who had been speaking for most of the time.

"**Silence! After our deliberations, we have decided that your zanpakuto's abilities are indeed too powerful, and that you should be removed from the position of Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13."**

Kai leaped forwards, the attendants on either side of him struggling to hold him back. His expression was one of pure rage.

"Deliberations?! What fuckin' deliberations?! You had no fuckin' time to _deliberate_ on anything! This is a fuckin' puppet court! Who's leadin' you, Shigekuni? I swear, I'm gonna—"

Before he could say any more, the attendants pulled on their chains and brought him to the ground. The center member banged their gavel again.

"**We shall have order! As we have now observed, the sheer power of this man's zanpakuto cannot be wielded by a man with such temper issues. You will be locked in the Maggot's Nest, and your blade will be sealed deep underground where no one will find it. Are there any objections from the court?"**

Kai said nothing, merely stood there, silently fuming.

Shigekuni stepped forwards, an arrogant grin on his face.

"There's one more issue I'd like to raise, Your Honor. Could the defendant please explain to the court exactly _how_ he has managed to say so youthful for the last thousand years?"

The court began to murmur again. Kai glared at Shigekuni. In his eyes were not only feelings of anger and revenge, but sadness and betrayal as well. After all, the man standing before Kai was his one-time best friend.

Finally, Kai sighed and began to speak.

"During my time in the Twelfth Division, I discovered a chemical that halts the aging process in Shinigami. Thus, for the last thousand years, I have remained at the visual age of 16."

The members of the court gasped, the leader included.

"**This is an outrage! This chemical is clearly a violation of Shinigami laws. The case is settled; the defendant shall be locked in the Maggot's Nest for as long as they live. We are done here."**

The attendants holding Kai's chains pulled at them, yanking him back. He resisted their pulls long enough for him to walk up to Shigekuni and spit in his face.

"I swear, Shigekuni, when I get out, I will kill you. I swear on your grandfather's fuckin' grave, seeing as he liked me a _hell_ of a lot more than he liked you."

Shigekuni was shocked. His mouth fell open. He gaped at the evilly grinning Kai as he was walked to the Maggot's Nest, not to be seen again for a long time.

_And so swung the pendulum, years before the births of Shinigami such as Sosuke Aizen or Byakuya Kuchiki. This was the event that we had to look to in order to determine the course of our future. Now that we have seen what has transpired, we can see what must happen in the future…_

_And so the pendulum stops._

…Wow. This took me two days to write. Three thousand words… I didn't know that this fanfic itself would even reach that, and here it is in one chapter. I'm gonna leave it up to you to decide if Shigekuni just wanted Kai's position, or if he truly believed that Kai was dangerous. I'm definitely gonna expand on Koroshi; I'm planning on writing a separate fanfic for him if I can't incorporate him into this one somehow (which seems unlikely; seeing as he's most likely dead). Please do review; this is my first fanfic and I do want feedback, positive or negative. Thanks!


	4. Third Memory: Vengeance

Argh, sorry about the super-long break. I had this chapter almost done, but then my computer crashed and I lost it. Since then, I've been swamped with tons of personal stuff and a general lack of willingness to get on with the story, which is kind of weird considering I've come up with some great ideas for it in this time :P 

It's kinda weird, because in the few weeks or so since I left off, my writing style has kind of changed a bit. At least in my mind it has. I'd appreciate it if you told me your thoughts  Better? Worse? Either way. Please do review, as it's my first fanfic ever.

Anyways, here goes.

((I don't own Bleach.))

Shunsui looked at Shigekuni, a strange expression on his face. For hundreds of years, the lazy Shinigami had looked at the old man with nothing but adulation and respect. However, with this sudden revelation, all of his previous notions about the old man's steadfast integrity had shattered. He gaped for a while at Yamamoto, and finally summoned up the energy to speak.

"Yama-jii… Is… Is what he says… True?"

His voice trailed off as he spoke, to the point where the last word was barely audible. He seemed almost unwilling to say it.

Yamamoto sighed heavily, the weight of the years pouring down on him heavier than ever.

"It is true, yes… But Kai has spun the tale to make me appear to be the villain. Don't you see? He's too powerful! What I did was right!"

The last words he spoke seemed to be more to convince himself of this than Shunsui.

"That's bullshit, Shigekuni, and you know it."

Kai was glaring daggers at Yamamoto and fingering his zanpakuto's hilt, seeming very eager to draw it.

"You wanted power, old man, and you were jealous of me. That's all there is to it."

Yamamoto straightened up, looking at Kai with new resolve in his eyes. He seemed to have recovered his composure, and his eyes were filled with fire.

"Right or not, Kai, it doesn't matter. If you're planning on attacking us, no matter how powerful you've grown, it doesn't matter. You're far outnumbered."

Kai smirked maliciously.

"And that's why I brought backup."

From the gate behind him, two figures stepped out. One was a large, round man, wearing a shihakusho. He had a square face with a brutish grin on it, and had a small zanpakuto on his waist. He had black dreadlocks going down to his waist and darkly tanned skin. The other man was much smaller, being only a little taller than Kai, and wore a captain's haori. He had straggly black hair that reached to his neck. His lips were pulled back in a fearsome predatory grin, and his teeth were pointed like a shark's. His eyes were blood-red and seemed as wide as dinner plates. He was hunched over somewhat, while the first man stood tall.

Shunsui gasped, recognizing the faces.

"That's…"

Yamamoto held out a hand to silence the wounded Shinigami.

"Former Lieutenant Rama Toguri and former Captain Kaito Hiseki, both of the 11th Division. Both were exiled to the Maggot's Nest for killing needlessly in the human world. How did you bring them here? For that matter, how are you here?"

Kai groaned loudly.

"Aizen let me out."

_**The Maggot's Nest, 80 years before the present day…**_

The two Shinigami stepped softly down the long staircase leading into the pseudo-prison known as the Maggot's Nest. One was tall, with shaggy brown hair and thick square glasses. He had an unassuming smile on his face, and wore a captain's haori, signifying him as Captain of the 5th Division. Slightly behind him walked a young teenage boy, a little shorter than the other man, with silver hair and an eerie grin. His eyes were shut, yet he gave the impression of seeing everything around him. The first one stopped and turned to the boy.

"This is the Maggot's Nest, Gin."

Gin looked up at the taller man, a quizzical expression on his face.

"I know that, Aizen. Where's this guy you want me to meet?"

Aizen said nothing, just gestured for Gin to follow. The ominous pair continued down the staircase until they reached the ground. As they passed, the various prisoners seemed to shy away from the pair, although they seemed to do this only after Gin had passed. As they continued, they stopped at a large, blank wall. Gin stared up at it, then looked at Aizen questioningly. Aizen chuckled at Gin.

"Watch. You will be doing this quite often."

He pressed his hand against a small outcrop in the wall, left it there for a few seconds, and drew it away. However, a glowing imprint of his hand remained. From it spread intricate lines of kanji and strange markings, growing and spreading all over the wall until the entire wall seemed to be nothing but glowing characters. From where his handprint was, a vertical crack spread up and down the wall, effectively changing the wall into a door. When the entire process was done, Aizen pushed forwards on the handprint. The two halves of the wall swung open to reveal an inky black hallway that seemed to stretch on forever. The only hint of an end was a faint light. Aizen turned around and gestured to Gin.

"Come. We still have a long way to go."

Without waiting for Gin, Aizen started down the hallway. Gin paused for a moment, in awe of the display he had just witnessed, and then hurried after Aizen.

After nearly half an hour of walking, the pair finally reached the end. The bright light was revealed to be an intensely-glowing door, covered in brightly shining cracks and crevices. In the center was a large vertical crack, about 18 inches long. Aizen turned to the wall next to the door and began searching for something. After a few moments, he let out a triumphant cry, and drew a small vial of what appeared to be blood from inside his sleeve. Gin peered curiously at the vial, and Aizen chuckled.

"You're wondering what this is, I suppose? Well, this is the blood of Kisuke Urahara. Only the blood of a current or former Head of the Detention Unit can open this door. When he was still a Captain, I would go to him every night and draw a small amount of blood from him. This went on for nearly 10 years, until he was exiled from Soul Society. I have a small supply of the blood, so you will have to use it sparingly."

With that, he pulled off the stopper on the vial and poured the blood in a small niche in the wall. The blood welled up in the niche for a moment, then began to flow through a web of cracks that spread out from the niche. When the blood stopped flowing, it hardened and crystallized inside the cracks. Aizen reached into the niche and gingerly drew the crystalline structure out. As Gin got a better look at it in the light, he realized that the branch-like blood-red object in Aizen's hand was in fact an elaborate key. As he watched, Aizen strode back to the door and inserted it into the large crack. The door immediately swung open, revealing a small room.

The room was small and unremarkable, its only features being a bed and a toilet. Sitting on the bed was a boy, 16 or 17 at the oldest. The boy was slouched over so his face was hidden. He had dark purple hair and a slim figure, over which was a ripped Captain's haori. At the sound of the door opening, he raised his head slightly, the shadows on his face hinting at deep indigo eyes.

"Haven't seen you before… The hell happened to Kisuke?"

The boy's voice was gravelly and slow, as if it hadn't been used in years. He looked up. His eyes were heavily shadowed, and carried a certain hardness to them, belying his visual age. He stood up slowly, as if he were testing his muscles before he used them. He looked at Aizen and Gin, his face expressionless.

Aizen smiled. He had found the man he had been looking for for decades. He looked at Kai, extending his hand.

"Hizaki-sama… My name is Sosuke Aizen. I have come here because I wish for you to train this boy."

He gestured at the ever-smiling Gin.

Kai smirked, a small snort emitting from his nose.

"Why the hell would I do anything for you… Especially seeing as you're a _Shinigami_?"

Now, it was Aizen's turn to smirk.

"Do you know what a Vizard is, Hizaki-sama?"

Kai burst out laughing. He continued for at least a minute as Aizen and Gin watched on incredulously. Eventually, he stopped.

"Of course I know what a Vizard is, dumbass. I am one!"

He touched his index and middle fingers between his eyebrows. Quickly, a white substance spread from his fingers across his face, forming a domino mask-like shape over his eyes and nose. It was almost like the shape of a human skull, but the eyes were slitted. He looked at the astonished Aizen, grinning.

"I used to be Captain of the 12th Division. D'you really think I wouldn't have found out about this? Hell, I told Kisuke how to make a Hougyoku. Only difference is I kept it secret."

Aizen quickly recovered his composure, smiling.

"Very well, then. How about your zanpakuto?"

Kai's eyes widened. This had gotten through to him.

"You… What do you want from me?"

Aizen smirked triumphantly. Kai would do what he wanted now.

"This boy… Train him."

He gestured at Gin, the boy's face neutral.

"Show him all of those tricks you developed. He'll be able to learn them. My zanpakuto will keep any suspicions of Gin being gone, or being here, to a minimum."

He turned to Gin, drawing three of his vials out of his hakama, and handed them to the boy. Gin took them, his face still neutral.

"Go to him when I send you. I showed you the way and how to get in, so you should be fine." With that Aizen turned away and walked into the shadows, Gin following behind after a moment of contemplation.

_**The Maggot's Nest, months before… **_

The door opened. Hopefully, Kai perked his head up and grinned. It was as he had hoped.

Aizen had come, holding the former Captain-Commander's sword in hand.

"Aizen-san… It's about time—"

Kai suddenly stopped. The smirk melted off his face as he saw the figure standing in the shadows behind Aizen.

Squinted eyes grinned from the darkness from behind silver hair.

Kai's eyes widened a bit.

"You… D-do you have my sword?"

The corners of Aizen's mouth turned up in a slight grin.

"As you can see, I do… The real question is, have you trained Gin to the greatest extent of your ability?"

Kai laughed nervously.

"Whaddya think? Have you _seen_ him fight? He's a fucking monster thanks to me…"

Aizen smiled.

"Thank you. Now here is the sword, just as I promised."

He reached out to give Kai the sword. Their fingers touched and Aizen's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of Kai's true reiatsu level.

Quickly, he regained his composure and turned. Beckoning to Gin, he began to walk off.

"I trust you'll make the right decision… Come, Gin."

Gin stepped out of the shadow, sticking his face right in front of Kai's.

"Good t'see ya, Hizaki-sama…"

His grin grew wider and he spun around, quickly following Aizen.

As the door shut Kai was still frozen with his eyes wide open in a state of shock.

**Present day…**

"…so I went to the Royal Dimension by using the Ouken and hid there until Aizen made his move. After all, I wasn't about to let him have all the fun, was I?"

Kai pointed his sword at Shigekuni, a malicious grin on his face. Toguri and Hiseki stepped to his side, their hands on their swords.

"Let's get this over with. Your troops are dying and I'm 100% fine. I think we know how this will end."

As he spoke, two shadows fell on the trio. One was medium height and bald; an average-looking Shinigami (from the shadow). The other, however, was gargantuan. Extending far in front of Kai, spikes extended from its head. One shoulder bulged, as if something were on it, and on the other shoulder a blade rested.

"You want I should destroy these bastards, old man?"

The guttural voice issued from the tall figure as a high-pitched giggle seemed to come from the same source. The combination of the two voices was eerie.

"Ken-chan can do it! He can kill all these mean men!"

Shigekuni smirked.

"Not all of us are dying… Now, shall we do this?"

His sword burst into bright flames which left a trail in the air as he swung it to point towards Kai. Meanwhile, Toguri and Hiseki turned to face their opponents properly. Toguri was facing a bald man who was holding his sword in one hand and his scabbard in the other. The man's eyes glinted dangerously, almost as if he enjoyed the fight a little too much. Hiseki, however, was staring upwards at an immensely tall man covered in scars. The man's hair was done in absurd spikes with bells hanging from the end, and he had a menacing eye patch covering one eye. His haori was torn and tattered almost beyond recognition. To complete the vision of frightening absurdity, a tiny girl with bright pink hair and a huge smile sat on his shoulder.

"I recognize you… You used t'be the 11th Division captain, didn't ya? Ahh well, it doesn't matter… I'll crush ya just the same!"

With that, Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of the 11th Division, let out a wild laugh and brought his sword crashing down at Hiseki. The fomer Captain blocked it easily, grinning maniacally.

"I've a feeling you'll bring me a good fight… Let's go!"

Almost instantly he was behind Zaraki, shooting his short sword towards the bigger man's back.

Ikkaku Madarame wasted no time starting the fight. He leaped at Toguri, slashing at the huge former vice-captain's face.

"Hrmhhh…"

Toguri batted Ikkaku out of the way like a fly, his enormous backhand breaking at least two ribs.

"Haaaaaah-haaaaaaaa! Don't think you'll be gettin' off that easy!"

Ikkaku flew at Toguri's backside, flailing his sword wildly.

"You're pathetic… Flying at your opponent without any hint of strategy. Let's see what you do against a real opponent…"

Moving with a speed that belied his size, Toguri brought his sword out of his sheath and slashed open Ikkaku's chest.

Kai stared at Shigekuni. The young boy looked up at the old man with a hardness that defied his visual age. The flames surrounded the Captain-Commander's blade, bringing a grim light to the surroundings. Suddenly, he was gone. From behind Shigekuni, the boy appeared, his face unchanging. His sword shot out towards his old friend's neck. The old man turned almost instantaneously and blocked the blow effortlessly.

"This will be the end of you, Kai Hizaki… You are too dangerous to live."

A pillar of fire exploded from the ground beneath Kai and shot up to engulf the boy.


	5. Fourth Memory: Insanity

Now that I've got some motivation back I'm gonna try to work more on this. Forgive my writing skills, they're a little rusty after having not been used for a while and then reading really abstract poetry where none of the sentences were complete.

Sorry about the long updating time; I'm really swamped with schoolwork so I don't get much time to work on this, and the Ikkaku fight isn't as interesting to write as I thought it'd be.

I think I'm gonna do this next fight in three chapters (one for Ikkaku, one for Zaraki, and one for Kai/Shigekuni) and then move on to some other stuff (hint: you'll find out what happened to Ichigo ).

I'm trying to put a lot of emphasis on flashbacks and memories, considering that a big theme of this story is the past, but because I also know how annoying some flashbacks can be I'm gonna try to limit them some/make them short.

I don't own Bleach.

**Fake Karakura Town**

Ikkaku struggled to his feet, stabilizing himself with his sword. Blood dripped from a wound in his forehead and his breathing was ragged. He looked at his opponent, Rama Toguri, staring daggers at the big man.

"Heh… You're tougher than I thought…"

Ikkaku leapt at the man, who backhanded him to the side, sending him flying. He flipped in midair and landed in a crouch, quickly transitioning into a dash towards Toguri. The big man sighed as he slapped, however, Ikkaku was ready. He tumbled under the big hand and sent his sword at Toguri's stomach. It connected, and Ikkaku yelled in triumph as he felt the hot blood hit his arm. The huge man leaped back, grunting.

"Hrnnnhhhh… You're really going to make me fight…"

With that, Toguri drew his zanpakuto. For such a large man, it was a very small sword, the blade being only the length of his forearm. Almost as soon as he had drawn it, however, he was in motion. The blade lashed out, digging a gash across Ikkaku's shoulder.

Ikkaku flipped around, laughing as Toguri's blade caught him. Leaping, he slashed at the big man's face, only to be blocked again. Not to be daunted, however, he continued his onslaught, slashing left and right at any opening he could see, until he caught the big man in the side. Surprised, Toguri dropped his arm for a split second, looking down at his wound.

Ikkaku didn't hesitate to take advantage.

Suddenly, Toguri seemed to be covered in blood. Wounds seemed to appear from midair. Ikkaku was utilizing his shunpo abilities to the greatest extent that he could, slashing and cutting the bigger man into oblivion. All that could be heard was cackling, and all that could be seen was more and more wounds gushing blood.

After a few seconds, Toguri stopped the onslaught by barely bringing his blade up to block Ikkaku's latest strike in time. He swung his arm around in a sluggish punch, managing to clip Ikkaku's shoulder. As Ikkaku went flipping back Toguri staggered backward, panting. From behind his blood-drenched dreadlocks he stared at the bald man.

"Hmph… I suppose I underestimated you…"

With his non-sword hand he brushed his dreadlocks away from his face and covered it with his palm. Quickly, white material spread from his palm and covered his face, creating the mask of the Vizard. As he brought his palm away the details of the mask was revealed. An oversized jaw bone much like that of a human skull covered the entire lower half of his face with a triangular horn-like appendage protruding from under the jaw over his face to on top of his head. A chevron-shaped eye slit split the horn in two, and three black lines spread vertically down from either side. Finally, two fangs jutted out from the jaw at the far right and left of his face, giving him an eerie smiling appearance.

Ikkaku gasped as Toguri's reiatsu shot sky-high and was almost unable to react as the huge man slashed out at Ikkaku. Toguri's blade connected and cut a deep slash into Ikkaku's left arm. Grunting, Ikkaku leaped back.

"Heh… Guess I shouldn't be holding back as much… Grow, Houzukimaru!"

With that he slammed the hilt of his sword into his scabbard. The two smoothly fused together and morphed into a wooden shaft with a long blade on the end. A red tassel sprouted from the base of the blade. He deftly spun the blade around his hand and pointed it at Toguri.

Rather, he pointed it at where Toguri had been. The man himself was behind Ikkaku, punching at his back. Caught totally off-guard, Ikkaku didn't turn in time and was sent flying. Displaying his aptitude at adaptation, however, he twisted in the air, stabbed his spear in the ground, and pushed. The resulting vault sent him flying back towards Toguri, his spear pointed right at the big man's stomach.

Toguri raised his hand for a karate chop to the spear's middle, aiming to break it in half. Seeing the big man's aims, Ikkaku laughed wildly. He swung his spear upwards to meet the chop as he yelled his next command.

"Split, Houzukimaru!"

As the karate chop connected, the shaft of the spear suddenly split into three sections, each connected by a chain. Ikkaku had positioned the spear so the chop met it at the second joint. This sent the upper two thirds of Houzukimaru flying towards Toguri's head. The blade sliced into the big man's mask, cutting through the jaw.

Toguri screamed out as the left quarter of his mask fell from his face. Blood streamed from the open wound as his reiatsu dipped significantly. He brought his hand to his face, tenderly cradling the wound. As his palm touched the cut he gasped.

It had reopened his scar.

The memories came upon him like a storm.

_Keiko was screaming. The Hollows had come again. Like a flood they stormed the village, invincible against the powerless townsfolk. Toguri stood powerless as his friends and family were slaughtered one by one. It was when they got to him, however, that he snapped._

_A smaller Hollow dashed towards him and leaped, aiming to claw his face open. When it reached about two feet away from his face, it slashed. As he felt its two large claws rip a ragged scar down his cheek, something broke inside him. He didn't care. Grinning, he grabbed the Hollow and cheerfully snapped its back over his knee. Another came at him; he ripped its head off. The onslaught continued until Toguri was overwhelmed. He disappeared under the flood of Hollows, still laughing cheerfully._

_He woke in Seireitei, a huge grin on his face. He realized what had happened, and quickly began formulating a plan. He would have to become a Shinigami, but that would be no problem for him. Then, he could continue with as much violence as he wanted… And he would be supported in it._

Toguri looked up at Ikkaku. He grinned, only part of it showing from behind his mask. A strange look was in his eyes, as if he was a three year old who had just received the balloon that he really wanted. He brought his sword up to point directly at Ikkaku.

"Blacken his soul, Kurotomurai!"

The sword shimmered and turned pure black. Ripples flowed through it as it slowly melted and flowed down his arm. As it reached his elbow it solidified, creating a deep black gauntlet. The joints had long spikes coming out of them, and out of his palm sprouted a medium-length black chain. At the end of the chain was a wickedly barbed hook.

The same malicious grin on his face, Toguri whipped the chain at Ikkaku without warning. He had no time to dodge. It ripped a vicious scar through the bald man's face, Ikkaku screaming as he felt his forehead open. He stumbled back, collapsing to the ground. A strange, hacking noise came from his mouth. As Toguri realized what it was, he grabbed Ikkaku and lifted him in the air.

"Why the fuck are you laughing, dumbass? I just fuckin' ripped your face open!"

He delivered a huge punch to Ikkaku's face, shattering the smaller man's nose. Ikkaku continued laughing. Frustrated, Toguri dropped him down only to kick him viciously – yet Ikkaku continued laughing.

"Stop… Goddamn… Laughing!"

With each word Toguri delivered another blow to Ikkaku's face. After the final blow Ikkaku finally stopped laughing. Slowly, he turned his head to spit out a tooth. It came out in a spurt of blood. Weakly, he chuckled.

"Heh… Getting' a little angry there, big guy?"

With a sudden burst of energy, Ikkaku leaped back, swinging Houzukimaru around his head and letting it go. Surprised, Toguri didn't stand a chance. The spear cut deep into his upper arm and lodged itself in his flesh. The big man screamed out in pain as Ikkaku grinned.

"I s'pose I should tell you my name… It's only fair to know the name of the man who's gonna kill you."

He yanked Houzukimaru out of Toguri's shoulder and struck a pose, holding the highest and lowest sections of the spear above his head.

"Ikkaku Madarame, 3rd Seat, 11th Division. Now you know who's—"

He stopped as three identical hooks slashed across his chest. He looked down, shocked at the blood flowing out of the new wounds, and looked back up. Three chains came out of Toguri's gauntlet instead of one. He could see how the blades interlocked together to give the semblance of only one hook. He sighed.

"I guess there's no other way to do this, is there…"

Grunting, he lifted Houzukimaru into the air and began to spin it.

"I'm gonna get hell for this… Bankai!"

A burst of light exploded from the spear as a sphere of reiatsu began to surround Ikkaku. The light became blinding, and Toguri had to look away. When the light finally dimmed, he looked at Ikkaku. The reiatsu ball had disappeared to reveal a shocking sight.

Ikkaku stood surrounded by gigantic weapons. In his left hand was a gigantic blade not unlike that of a Chinese guan dao; the blade was primarily straight until a sharp curve took the tip of the blade to a 90o angle to the rest of the weapon. In his left hand, a flat blade curved out in a crescent shape to form a blade like that of the monk's spade. On the hilts of both of these, huge weights extended from the ends to balance out the absurdly large blades. Finally, floating behind him was the blade of an axe, a parallel handle embedded in the flat part. Above it a dragon symbol was inscribed in the blade, glowing very slightly red. All three weapons were connected by huge chains. Despite the absurd size of the blades, Ikkaku held them with seeming ease. He grinned at Toguri's shocked reaction.

"I didn't want to have to show anyone this… But I gotta do what I gotta do to win, eh? This is Ryuumon Houzukimaru, my Bankai. Can you hold up?"

With that, he rushed at Toguri, twirling the weapons from the middle axe blade. When he reached the big man, he threw the blade up in the air and caught it by the guan dao, smoothly transitioning into a powerful slash across Toguri's torso. Shocked, he couldn't move in time. The blade ripped open Toguri's chest, nearly splitting him in half. Blood burst out of the wound, and Toguri's eyes widened as the life slipped out of his body.

"You… bastard… you… hid that…"

The last word slipped from his throat along with his dying breath. His body slumped and fell to the ground, unable to sustain the concentration of reiatsu necessary to stand on air. Harrumphing, Ikkaku let his bankai reseal itself, the blades glowing brightly and reforming into the shape of his katana. Only then did he let himself collapse from the exhaustion.

"There's gonna be hell to pay for this…"

With that, he closed his eyes and let himself drift away.


End file.
